Yes, I know it is not November. Yes, I know the NCAA Tournament just wrapped up and brought basketball season to a close.
If the warm weather, sounds of the bat and talk of the upcoming football season have you baffled, and you need an excuse to consider basketball as a conversational topic: the late recruit signing period started Wednesday.
Last season a lot of Mississippi State hoops fans were disappointed by the explosion of high expectations our team started the season with.
I know that from the constant bickering, ranting and raving that festered the majority of bulldog message boards.
While the true loyalists were standing behind their team and keeping their fingers crossed, the fair weather fans were too busy bashing coaching decisions, playbook depth and coaching ability in general.
Why would our fan base not believe in a coach who has only averaged 20 wins a season and has a 62.5 winning percentage in his five years at the reigns of the program?
Why would people not have any confidence in Winsome Frazier and Marcus Campbell, who have more wins than any MSU players in school history?
Let’s just throw those four straight NCAA tournament appearances right out the window. Who needs those, right?
The past is the past. I know from our showing and effort in the NCAA tourney (e.g. Duke game) that fans were revamped with a renewal of faith in our coaching staff and players. Right?
That is why I know that each and every fan out there is optimistic about our upcoming recruiting class.
Combining the early and the still active late period, and you have the culmination of an unbelievably deep and gifted class. It’s Arguably the top five in the country and the best to ever step foot on MSU soil.
As all the fair weather fans have obviously pieced together, there is a catch somewhere.
Next year’s basketball team is riddled with questions of possible defections and transfers. With all of this talent coming in, I find myself asking “Why?” Whatever the reason, we as MSU fans have a responsibility and duty to make sure that our team is loved and appreciated in every aspect. Something we obviously did not do well enough last season.
To make our program into a contending powerhouse, we as fans must contribute just as much as the coaching staff and players.
We should show that no matter what the outcome or the obstacle they face, we are behind them every day.
How can you expect the team to be consistent in winning when we as fans are not consistent in our support? This does not just apply to basketball but to every sport.
I once heard a great man, coach Sylvester Croom, say, “We will do our best not to embarrass you but to make you proud to be a bulldog.
However, we cannot do this without you, our fans. We need your support if we are to be successful in what we are trying to accomplish.”
With all being said and done, there is only one question left to ask: if our coaches believe this, why don’t we?